A Sword to Remember
by SonOfSkyrim22
Summary: When a pair of young men decide to be more than fishmonger's assistants, they experience a new life full of success and satisfaction, but also pain and hardship.
1. Part I

A Sword to Remember

Part I

"Just because we make it look easy doesn't mean it isn't painful."

I was too engrossed to comment. My arms underneath his, my feet moving frantically, trying to pull him behind a massive boulder. "Stop complaining, Taro."

Tendrils of flame licked at us over the edges of the rock as a blast of fire nearly knocked it on top of us. Pushing himself to his feet, Taro patted the dirt and grime off the heavy black carapace chunks that made up his armor, firmly affixed to a tightly stretched suit of red hide. "I'm just saying! It takes a lot more than people think to be a monster hunter."

He happened to be correct, but there was far more crucial business at hand. "Look, that big beastie has us cornered, and he knows exactly where we are. I'll draw him around. I need you to take off the tail."

Taro's grin always made him look like an excited child. "He's not going to like that." In a slow motion he lifted the tip of his sword from the ground where it rested, a heavy blood red dai-katana with spikes across the blade.

"That's the point!" I moved out from behind our cover, light on my feet. There I saw him again. Towering, several times taller than I. Beastly, strong arms, massive wingspan. Black scales and hot ivory teeth. A log of a tail, tipped with long spines and poison glands. He was terrifying, majestic, beautiful. Eyes ahead, I ran. He roared and plodded in my direction. I could tell his every step when crushed bits of pebbles bounced away from the silver stone ground. He wasn't running, he was turning. As I looked across my shoulder I saw his swinging tail rapidly gaining behind me. "Dammit Taro!"

I leapt forward and dropped my swords, covering the back of my head. My chest slammed against the stone with a ringing "Clang!" and air rushed over the top of me. Coughing, gasping for air, I rolled over and sat up. Bright yellow eyes and eager fangs were ready to give me a warm reception. The wyvern screamed in my face and dived in at me. Grabbing the single sword that had landed in my reach, I swung across my body in desperation. The finely edged scarlet claw that made up the blade raked across his dark scales, carving a wide line down his face. He reared back, head whipping vigorously about and released a piercing cry of pain and frustration. Most predators aren't used to their dinner putting up a fight.

The lucky shot gave me the only chance I needed. I bolted ahead, jumping and rolling between the pillars that were his muscled stocky legs. He loosed a whirlwind of fire from his maw only seconds too late to cook me alive, it spread over the ground where I had been a split second ago and dissipated. "There goes another perfectly good weapon..."

The earth shook as the twisting dark columns went up and down, stealing away any chance for me to balance on my feet. His rough pink pads and menacing black claws were a cage for me to escape from. I crawled and stumbled out under the canopy of a draping wing. A screech resounded off the walls of the cave. I felt something like icepicks being hammered into my eardrums. Throwing off my helmet, I fell to my knees, grabbing either side of my head. I screamed, but I couldn't hear myself. Dropping on to my hands I whimpered, or sobbed, or simply shook. I can't seem to remember which. Every second the blood pulsing to my brain sent a shockwave through my body. In my life I had known burning, bruising, breaking, and slicing, but I had never known pain like this.

Abruptly I was jerked to my feet by the shoulderplates. Noise came back to me slowly.

"The tail! Kai, help me with the tail!"

My eyes ran down Taro's outstretched arm. His finger pointed in the direction of a massive scaly appendage with sharp stakes on one end. A cracked vertebra protruded from the other side, dripping a purple ooze. He ran, and I followed. Each slipping a hand under the bleeding stump and the other over the top, we clasped our fingers and lifted the tail together.

"Walk towards me!" Taro commanded.

"What?"

"Just do it!"

I stepped forward, Taro moved to the side. We began to spin. The more we turned the easier it became, the burden of the weight slowly lifted. The Rathalos had not forgotten that my companion had permanently disfigured him. The yellow eyes that were once beady were now bloodshot and wide, furious. He wanted vengeance, and he intended to have it. Charging, the beast's weight came further forward with every broad stride. His head snapped side to side on the end of his slender snakelike neck. With his smoking snout point toward the ceiling of the cave, the spines of his own tail dug through his natural armor in to his face, piercing his eyes and his elongated skull. He contorted and screamed. The poisoned spikes tore clean through the roof of his mouth and skewered his forked tongue. Writhing on the ground, small spits of flame and ember sputtered through his gnashing jaws. He stopped moving. Stopped breathing.

"I wasn't lying when I said it hurts."

"I know, Taro. I know."


	2. Part II

A Sword to Remember

Part II

The crunch of snow, collapsing far below the surface beneath our feet. It hadn't exactly been warm inside the caves, but the cool, fresh, open air felt wonderful. Especially in contrast to dodging fireballs. Our sled glided smoothly over the ice. Under a blanket and lashing laid a small mountain of scales, claws, fangs, and hide that we pulled behind us by a rope.

"We're going to be thick as thieves!" Taro was fascinated with the pile of loot we were able to carve from the giant Rathalos.

"We'll eat well tonight. Of that I'm certain."

"And we get _paid!_" He was always so content with the small things. Loot, money, drink. Taro loved it all. He was made for monster hunting. Not only was he short, stocky, strong, and speedy, but he loved the hunt, and he loved the life. It was his calling.

"Well, we have to get back to town first. Come on now, settle down and help me with this sled."

"Right, right."

We trudged on, pulling our take in silence for a few leagues until I noticed Taro staring intently at me, wearing a blank expression.

"What?"

"You know what I want. Let's have it!"

With a sigh, I dropped the rope and removed a cloth wrapped parcel from a strap over my back. As I unraveled the dirty canvas, Taro practically jittered with excitement. Slowly, I lifted the sword from its makeshift sheathe. The claw had been turned a deep maroon, with charred black veins streaking down the sides.

"Do you think it still works?"

"Yeah. It's tougher than it was before. I thought it would be destroyed, but I think the fire made it harder. Tempered it."

"I'll have to remember that next time. Maybe I'll get a chance to throw my sword in some dragonbreath too."

With a slight smile, I shook my head. "Come on Taro. Let's keep going."

It wasn't much further to the village. People stared at us, and their children pointed in awe as we headed down the stone path.

"Check the loot in with the blacksmith. I'm going to see the elder."

Taro nodded and hauled away our take as I made my way to the longhouse. It was dim inside. Light came only from a small fire in the hearth and a single small square window. An aged man in a thick grey robe sat in a wooden rocking chair, stroking a soft white cat.

"I knew you'd be back today." He acknowledged me before I had even made it into his sight. "You've been gone three days now."

"And we would have returned three days ago, but a Rathalos never wants to make the job easy."

The elder laughed softly from weak lungs under frail bones. He sighed in a tone of reminiscence. "The hunt was quite a bit different in my time. We never could have done what you do."

A rush of frosty air seeped in as the door opened and closed again. Taro waltzed in and stood next to me.

"I don't mean to waste any more of your time. Here, I've got what you boys worked for."

From the floor at his feet, the elder produced two heavy cloth sacks and set them on a small table beside his chair. They dropped with a heavy thump and a pleasant jingle. Before my hand grasped the neck of one of the sacks he muttered a single quiet sentence.

"You two are going to be one of the best things that ever happened to this town."

I handed a bag to Taro and decided that it was best not to say anything. We left the warmth of the log structure and emerged in the biting cold.

"Cryptic." Taro stated simply.

"Have some respect. He's the only reason that we're not gutting fish anymore."

Even though I knew it was better not to think about it, I was just as curious.


	3. Part III

A Sword to Remember

Part III

Paper lanterns hung from ropes strewn overhead down the path and across every opening to every turn. The calm orange glow illuminated the darkness of night. People laughed and drank and celebrated. They dealt cards and told stories. Slabs of basted red meat twirled over fires in slow motion. Chefs chopped sweet foreign fruits, and the ale never stopped pouring.

"It doesn't get any better than this!" Taro grinned, rubbing his hands together as a steaming tray piled with exotic dishes was placed on the table in front of him.

I nodded in sober agreement, occasionally sipping sweet honey wine from a tin cup. Taro gnawed on a juicy leg, stopping only to pour more ale down his gullet. On the platter between us sat a single, isolated, odd looking cracker. I examined it thoughtfully before breaking it apart. To my surprise, it was hollow, and there was a thin slip of parchment with a handwritten scratch across one side.

"Chase your dreams. Passion outweighs both success and failure."

"What's that?" He looked like an absolute buffoon, with his greasy lips and lean strings stuck between his teeth.

"Hm? Oh, nothing." Crumpling the paper, I tossed it down the table. It landed inside the stack of logs in the fireplace, forever lost to ashes.

Completely unannounced, a hefty body bumped against my back. A heavyset man with receding brown hair and a beard that matched his suede apron dropped a circular tray lined with full glasses on our table.

"Round of cider for the hunters! On the house!"

All eyes in the hall turned to us. The patrons hollered and cheered, applauding in our name. Taro examined the smooth looking beige colored liquid. With a shrug, he raised a glass and tipped it back. When it slammed back on the table it was empty. His eyes widened as he coughed and wheezed.

"Man, this stuff's got a bite to it!"

He reached out to grab another. I laid a set of fingers on the back of his hand.

"Let's not overdo it."

"Lighten up, Kai. Celebrate! Let go for once. Come on, have one with me." He gripped the glass and extended it in my direction. That sly smile, those sloped eyebrows. It was too much to refuse.

"All right. Just one."

I took the cup, Taro picked up another. They made a satisfying "Clink!" as we tapped them together. The cider was hot, sweet, and delicious. Then it began to sting. Over the next few hours, one turned in to two. Two to three, and then I lost count. We laughed like grown old friends and giggled like little girls. We jested each other for slurring and stuttering our words, doing the same thing as we poked fun at each other's mistakes.

"Whose idea was it to use the tail? Oh, mine! That's right."

"And who told you to deal with it in the first place? Oh yeah, I did!"

Taro blankly examined the last emptied glass. "Well, the drinks are gone. I guess that means it's time to turn in."

"You said it. I'm beat."

Standing up was a lot more difficult than it should have been. With one hand on the table, I stepped cautiously toward the door. Taro tipped back over the bench, jarring the table and tumbling on to his back. A glass rolled off the edge and shattered on the ground. Laughing, he moved his arms randomly in a sorry attempt to pick himself up.

Shaking my head, I stood over him. "You're lucky we're not wearing our armor anymore."

I gave him a hand and hoisted him over my shoulders. Slowly, we made our way outside, tripping this way and that.

"Kai, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you think that this is destiny?"

"What?"

"You know, like... fate."

"That's not what I was talking about."

"Oh. I mean, when we met back in that fishmonger's shop."

"And when we decided to be something more?"

"Exactly. Do you think it was meant to happen? Made to be?"

"Yeah. I do, Taro."

He nodded with unspoken understanding, either accepting or pondering our conversation. We shuffled through the night toward our cabin, listening to the crackle of dying fires and the chirping of crickets.

"Kai?" His voice was just a peep.

"Yeah?"

"Look up."

All the blue of day, and all the violet of evening had passed. The sky was black. Brilliant, beautiful, little lights littered the heavens. Hundreds, thousands. More than you could ever count. I stopped immediately and gazed up, beguiled with wonder.

"The stars..." I didn't know what else to say.

"No. Look!" Taro raised a finger weakly. A bright form blotted out the far away lights as it sailed across the horizon. I could make out wings flapping slowly in the distance.

"What do you suppose it is?"

"I don't know Kai, but I don't think it's good."

A loud screech broke the present calm. The form closed in with haste, dropping out of the air like a raven on the point of an arrow.

"And when is it ever?"

Butting my shoulder in to Taro's underarm, we groggily sidled to an alleyway. The form crashed down upon the path, shaking the wood piles and thatched roofs. Our last hunt was huge for a Rathalos, massive. This one was even bigger, yet it was slender, with a less prominent wingspan. The scales that ran down its body were the color of cherry blossoms.

"What is that?" Taro inquired in a simple-minded manner.

"It's a Rathian. A queen, I think."

"She's not very happy, is she?"

"No, Taro. I don't think she is."

Her glowing blue eyes darted down the alleyway and locked on the two of us. She raised her head and cried. I knew what that meant. With a quick jerk on his shirt we both fell to the ground. Holding on with both hands, I rolled us behind an old wooden wheelbarrow. The moment we hit the wall, the cart burst into flames. Burning chunks of wood flew on top of us. I never let go of Taro, and in just seconds I was up and dragging him behind a little shelter made of logs.

"You know what we have to do, right?"

He started to curl up in the dirt. "Yeah. I guess it is about bed time."

I slapped him, once across the cheek with a callused palm. The eyes that were as good as dead a minute ago peered up at me. Sad, drunken, puppy eyes that seemed to ask me "Why would you do this?"

"I'm serious, Taro! I don't want to die!"

The thought of this apparently had some effect on him. He pushed himself up against the wall and unlatched the clasps on his back. While he still couldn't stand straight, he was ready, sword in hand.

"Remember what we did last time?"

Nodding nearly put him off balance.

"Okay, same thing. Just go for the tail. If you can't, then try the neck, or the wings, or take out the legs. Just do some damage!"

"All right, let's do it!"

Dashing back across the alley, I readied my own blades. The queen growled when she spotted me. Disappearing behind the next hut, I kept running. A little ways down I cut back on to the path. Her tail was turned to me, and her neck twisted down the alleyway where Taro waited. Grabbing a hold on the lip of a thick scale, I vaulted on top of her back. She lost interest in the alley rather quickly as I jammed the tempered red claw in to the side of her spine, following with the other blade on the opposite side. The weapons were my handles, and the Rathian bucked and spun like a bullfango as I held on for dear life. Her head came around and she snapped at me, but I was just out of her reach. Pulling out the mundane sword, I shoved it back in to the wound again and again. The break between her scales grew bigger and bigger as flakes cracked off and fell away, the claw ripping deeper into her innards. She cried, the base of her neck bulged and her maw opened wide. The inside of her throat was glowing.

"Oh no."

I let go. Her strong legs threw me from her hips, and I took flight. There was no sense of control. My limbs twisted and tangled as they pleased. The wind was pushed from my lungs when my back slammed against the only stone house in town. I dropped to the ground in a heap. The queen gradually moved toward me. Her menacing teeth almost seemed to form a twisted smile. I never wanted it to end like this, but somehow I always knew that it would. Something flashed before my eyes. At the time I thought it was my life. But she stopped, and it happened again. Her head turned away from me, and a hand sized stone bounced off of her forehead.

"Over here, ya' big bitch!"

Taro stood triumphantly, wide legged, holding another rock. I would never forget that image for the rest of my life. No longer stunned, the queen rushed down the path, leaving me sputtering on dust. Rolling to my knees I crawled, for I could not stand. The hulking pink behemoth stopped and stood on her hind legs. When she came down, she brought two sets of claws. Eight talons, each half the size of a grown man. Both of us had always known that death was a part of the job. At that moment I remembered how I had always believed that if one of us were to die in the line of work, I would die defending Taro. I felt as though the world was lost to me as the vengeful mother dropped to release her fury on my only friend.

"Taro..."

I couldn't believe what I saw next. The tip of a wide, curved, spiked blade the color of blood. It protruded through the wyvern's backbone. There was no scream. No cry. She hung suspended in the air for what seemed like hours. It began to rain. Finally, she slumped and collapsed in the center of town.

"Taro!"

Somehow I found the strength to run. Screaming, I plowed into the Rathian's ribs. She was far too heavy to even budge. Hopelessly I rammed my beaten body into her sharp scales. People began to open their doors and walk out of their homes. They stared in quiet astonishment as I endeavored in vain to topple the body of the slain beast. Young men and their fathers came forward one by one. Guards, guildsmen, farmers, fisherman, and the blacksmith came forth to aid. Even a few small children jumped in to help force over the heavy load.

She rocked, slowly at first. Each time she came back she would roll further over her side. With a final great heave, she toppled on to a shoulder. I fell to my knees. Taro was sprawled on his back, his head to the side. Eyes closed. The citizens observed as I crawled closer. I couldn't breathe, I didn't know what to do. Slowly, I placed a shaking hand on his chest.

It moved.

The corner of his mouth twitched, only slightly. "I wasn't lying when I said it hurts."

Taro chuckled. He lay on the ground, and I stayed kneeling over him. We laughed and cried for a lifetime as the rain began to pour.


	4. Part IV

A Sword to Remember

Part IV

Life was swell for months afterward. We were local heroes. Our confidence had us working on overdrive. Every hunt was finished faster than the last, and we celebrated every night with the finest food, drink, and company that we could ever ask for. We made mountains of coin joining parties from other towns when there was little work us at home. Everyone knew our names, and they all said them with a smile. With satchels full of jerky and bottles full of mead, we set out on another hunt, tromping through knee deep snow.

"Why do you think they're paying us so much for this?" Taro inquired thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's something a little tougher than what we're used to."

"I guess so. A little challenge doesn't sound so bad. What is a 'Tigrex' anyway?"

"I don't know. Never seen one."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

We helped each other scale small cliffs, we hiked foothills, and went spelunking in caverns of ice. When darkness fell we made camp, and we were up at the first light of dawn. Emerging from the caves, we stepped in to the rays of a sun that we could not see. It sparkled against the fresh powder that coated the ground.

Taro stretched his arms out wide and scanned over the untrodden field. "I can't remember the last time this took us more than a day. I haven't slept on the ground in awhile."

"Don't get too cocky. If we want to be home in time for dinner then we need to stay alert. No mistakes this time."

He sighed. "Okay, you're right. Where is this thing anyway? I'm a hunter, not a tracker."

"Tracking is part of hunting."

A soft sound echoed over the hills that surrounded us.

"Taro, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

The noise came again, louder this time.

He looked to the sky, slowly turning in a circle. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I have an idea."

It was getting closer. No longer incomprehensible, we heard the bellowing roar of the Tigrex.

"Kai, look out!"

I rotated, but it was already too late. Tons of bone and sinew bounded over the hill and slammed me to the ground. The snow broke my fall, but a pop and a snap in my shoulder brought an intense pain. I wasn't going anywhere. I stared at the steaming muzzle of rabid beast. His leathery hide was a deep orange streaked with blue, and his wings were attached to a bulky set of frontal legs. Those thick fangs were the sharpest that I had ever seen. From the corner of my eye, a long red blade swiped down on the Tigrex's forehead. Swinging a muscular forearm, his paw slammed into Taro and sent him hurtling several steps away, planted face down in the powder.

"You can't fight him alone! Just run!"

He pushed himself to his feet. "I'm not leaving you!"

Those jaws were incredibly forceful. Teeth sank right through the steel of my breastplate. I felt my body being lifted into the air.

"He's going to kill you Taro! Get out of here while you can!"

Neither moving in or turning away, he stood shaking indecisively.

The spikes tore into my chest. I could taste blood. "Do it!"

The last thing I saw was Taro's back as he made for the caves.


	5. Epilogue

A Sword to Remember

Epilogue

"You're sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You need it more than I do."

The elder turned around. Deep crow's feet stretched across the sides of his face. His cheeks hung off of his skull in bags beneath a short white beard. "But you risked your life for this money."

Taro sighed. "I know. I just don't want it any more. I don't want any of this."

"Your life is in your own hands. You are free choose your own path. I implore you not to leave for the good you provide this village, but I cannot make you stay. I have lost many friends in my long life. I wish I could say that each was just as tragic as the one before, for I loved them all. Sadly, it becomes easier to deal with."

"I've never lost a friend before. I never really had any to lose."

The old man looked back into the fire that blazed before him. "Your life is new, child. You will find greater sadness in life, but you will also find peace."

Taro had nothing else to say. He left the longhouse and started down the path, the opposite way that he had come so many months ago. The people watched him as he went, saying nothing. He never looked back at them, setting off on a journey to a new life with nothing but the clothes on his back and a sword to remember.


End file.
